You would think the goalkeeper position would be the easiest to evaluate on the football pitch, because, well, goalkeepers are more stationary than other players and can be largely evaluated on how successful they are at stopping the other team from scoring.
But it isn’t really that simple. Although goalkeepers are primarily asked to make saves, ask any Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur fan how much having a goalkeeper who does not command the box well or makes basic errors in possession can totally destroy your team’s sense of stability.
There is also the matter of reputation. Many goalkeepers can skate by on a reputation built up over the years of greatness, whereas some younger goalkeepers find it more difficult to gain a foothold for this reason.
Finally, there is the matter of form. We’ve seen goalkeepers like Jan Oblak and Marc-Andre ter Stegen go from being unbeatable kings of La Liga to utter peasants in the span of a season, while flashes in the pan like Edgar Badia will outplay everyone else and then disappear into a second league abyss.
Doing my best to adjudicate all of these factors, here is a comprehensive list of the best 15 goalkeepers in the world, right now.
15. Jordan Pickford, Everton
The England national team’s No. 1, Jordan Pickford has been largely responsible for Everton not completely wetting the bed and getting demoted into Championship purgatory like Leicester City.
Pickford isn’t quite at the world-class level and is easy to overrate a bit since he plays in a high-profile league like England, but he is a great goalkeeper who is solid on the ball and has top reflexes.
14. Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid
After a couple of dismal seasons, Jan Oblak has bounced back, and while he isn’t back in the discussion for being the best goalkeeper in the world – or really anywhere close to that – the 33-year-old just edges out David Soria, Sergio Herrera, and Lucas Chevalier (among others) for a spot on this list.
Oblak is still capable of making saves that get you off your seat. The quality has never left Oblak, and with a better defense around him after a few years of positive transfer activity, he feels more stable with the ball at his feet and with his handling, too.
13. Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa
Although Emiliano Martinez might be the most overrated goalkeeper in the world who is actually good from the standpoint that people are still putting him in best goalkeeper in the world conversations based on a World Cup a few years ago, Martinez has recovered his form, too.
Martinez has been one of the best goalkeepers in the 2025/26 season for Aston Villa, and when he locks in, his athletic traits and overall quality make him one of the best on this planet. We just need to see it consistently.
12. Robin Roefs, Sunderland
Sunderland have been a surprise side in the Premier League this season after finally coming up again from the Championship, and while a big part of that was the smart veteran signings they made to build a defensively steely team like ex-Bundesliga men Nordi Mukiele and Granit Xhaka, the breakout of goalkeeper Robin Roefs has been as fundamental as anything.
The Dutchman is saving nearly 75 percent of the shots he has faced this season and is a clean sheet machine. He has reliable hands, he can make all the passes on the ball, and he is one of the better shot stoppers in world football. Roefs is legit.
11. Marco Carnesecchi, Atalanta
Serie A has the best goalkeepers of any league in European football, and that has been the case pretty consistently over the last five years. They have surpassed La Liga and the Bundesliga for the best keepers in the world, and it seems like a new breakout star was coming up every year in the early 2020s.
While the production line in Italy has slowed, there are still a number of young gems who are only getting stronger as they gain experience, and although you do not hear much about Marco Carnesecchi in the mainstream, he is absolutely one of them.
Carnesecchi is becoming a real leader in Bergamo, and his pure shot-stopping ability is a sight to behold. Maybe only Mile Svilar and Thibaut Courtois are capable of making as jaw-dropping saves as Carnesecchi, who can keep Atalanta in games all by his lonesome.
10. Ivan Provedel, Lazio
For years, Ivan Provedel was one of the elite goalkeepers in Italian football. But he struggled last season as Lazio did, clearly missing Maurizio Sarri and his stability.
The former Spezia star has bounced back strongly this season with another campaign with a save percentage above 80. His leadership, handling, and pure shot-stopping are honestly world-class despite the fact that most people around world football have still never heard of him.
9. Michele Di Gregorio, Juventus
The savior of Monza, Michele Di Gregorio helped the club stay afloat in Serie A, and while that fine work was undone after he left with a demotion back to Serie B, Gregorio remains in the Italian top flight with a high reputation.
Di Gregorio is one of the best goalkeepers in the world at making difficult saves. He is so good at outstretching and parrying shots to safety, and his command of the box is exquisite. Juventus have always had great goalkeepers, even after Gianluigi Buffon’s departure and decline, and Di Gregorio is playing as well as any of them (well, minus prime Buffon).
8. Gregor Kobel, Dortmund
As with any star player, being a vital piece of the Borussia Dortmund puzzle has taken its toll on Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who, at the age of 28 years old, is no longer a young player.
At one point, Kobel looked like he could threaten for the No. 1 spot in the future, so good he was for Dortmund back when they were Bundesliga title contenders, but he has not taken that leap forward and does have some bad mistakes in him with his feet.
Still, Kobel is a world-class shot stopper and one of the few players on Dortmund who qualifies as a leader. It is also not easy being the keeper of a team with a sieve of a midfield and fullbacks who struggle at times.
7. Joan Garcia, Barcelona
Joan Garcia only recently arrived to Barcelona after shining for rivals Espanyol in Catalunya, but, goodness, he was such a special prospect that even in the second division, elite clubs around European football were desperately fighting for his signature.
Barcelona beat out Arsenal and others for Garcia, and he has made the mercurial Marc-Andre ter Stegen a mere memory. Even at the age of 24, Garcia is already more consistent than Ter Stegen as a shot stopper and certainly better on the ball. He is a perfect goalkeeper for Barca with an 80 percent save percentage to reflect that brilliance.
6. David Raya, Arsenal
It won’t be long until Garcia usurps David Raya, but the other standout Spanish international has been excellent as the current No. 1 for Arsenal. He has not actually had much to do this season with how dominant the Gunners have been in the Premier League, especially in the defense and midfield, but when called upon, there is no mistaking the fact that Raya is one of the elite Premier League goalkeepers.
5. Mile Svilar, Roma
Mile Svilar deserves so much more praise than he gets, and not only is the young Roma star already a top-five goalkeeper, but he is also moving into an argument to join the top three if he can keep up these performances for another year.
Not many goalkeepers have the toughness and coverage of the goal that Svilar does. His save percentage is nearly flirting with 85 percent, making him the best statistical goalkeeper in the entire landscape of European football right now.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma are exceeding the talent they have on the roster, and Svilar, who is not yet in his prime as a keeper at the age of 26, is probably the biggest reason why.
4. Mike Maignan, AC Milan
Mike Maignan was the biggest factor in two different league title-winning seasons for two different underdog teams in two different leagues between Lille and AC Milan.
After some back and forth throughout the season, Maignan will be staying another year in Milan after verbally agreeing to terms on a new contract with the Rossoneri with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
Maignan had a bit of a blip of a downturn in his performances last season, but he has been back to his best in 2025/26. He is as reliable as they come, rarely making mistakes, and he can make the tough saves, too.
3. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City
Manchester City are still trying to figure out playing around Gianluigi Donnarumma’s limitations on the ball, because he is a bit less reliable as a passer than the other elite goalkeepers in European football – and he is certainly no Ederson.
But overall, he is a better goalkeeper than Ederson, even though he has not been as brilliant for Man City as he was at PSG last season. But there is no question that when it comes to pure ability to cover the goal and make reflex saves, Donnarumma is one of the two best in the world.
PSG owe a lot of their Champions League triumph to Donnarumma, who is also a European Champion with Italy a handful of years ago.
2. Alisson Becker, Liverpool
Alisson Becker is the definition of reliability and a model of consistency for Liverpool. The Brazilian international’s absences hamstring the Reds more than the loss of any other player, which really tells you something about his value as a leader and goalkeeper.
He stabilizes the entire team, and you can count on one hand the number of mistakes he has made in his career. Alisson has no glaring weaknesses in goal and has learned to suit Liverpool’s style to a T.
1. Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid
As amazing as Alisson and Donnarumma are, there is only one Thibaut Courtois. His 2021/22 Champions League Final performance alone is worth the legacy of most of the goalkeepers on this list, and he, time and time again, makes saves that leave you picking your jaw off the floor.
Courtois has improved so much under pressure and adversity at the Santiago Bernabeu, once being written off as a flop. Since then, he has been the most statistically dominant keeper in the world on a team where keepers face a lot of emotional pressure and a lot of difficult shots to save on breakaways – not to mention how much Real struggle to defend set pieces for him.
Furthermore, Courtois has improved by leaps and bounds on the ball, going from being a weak player with his distribution to one of the elite goalkeepers in the world at passing under pressure and even throwing out to start counterattacks.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.